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Rockman wrote:Hell even Aquaman outsold your book last month..... Aquaman

Ummm...this isn't really a bad thing. Have you read Aquaman? Its one of DC's best books. Since the start of the New 52 and the DCnU, Aquaman has consistently been one of DC's top 5 books in terms of quality and its great that sales are reflecting that.

Sakie wrote:Ummm...this isn't really a bad thing. Have you read Aquaman? Its one of DC's best books. Since the start of the New 52 and the DCnU, Aquaman has consistently been one of DC's top 5 books in terms of quality and its great that sales are reflecting that.

Spider-man is one of the biggest single super heroes in the world. His films have made billions, his merchandise is everywhere, he had a cartoon for every generation of kids since he was introduced. He simply is one of the most popular superheroes in the world, if not the most, and easily Marvel's most recognizable and popular character.

Aquaman is well, aquaman. He has never once reached anywhere near the popularity of spider-man.

So no I don't care if you have Alan friggin Moore on the book, Aquaman should not be selling more than Spider-man.

Rockman wrote:So no I don't care if you have Alan friggin Moore on the book, Aquaman should not be selling more than Spider-man.

Ok, then are you are saying that no matter how good a book is, it shouldn't sell better than another book if the other book stars a more popular character?

There are a lot of DC books that are selling more than Marvel books and shouldn't be but are because DC became desperate and launched a campaign based on stunts and shock value. Think of it this way, if the DCnU didn't exist, your point wouldn't matter because Amazing Spider-Man would be in the Top 10.

Rockman wrote:Complain about someone's work on a title? They'll insult your mother..

Have you SEEN your mother?

Rockman wrote:It must keep you up at night knowing that your book hasn't broken the top 10 in almost a year either.

Anyone with a realistic understanding of the industry knows that...

1) With the sheer amount of money that DC/Time Warner threw at the New52...2) The returnability incentives they offered retailers (which, with the way Marvel is structured, Marvel will not counter with a similar plan)...3) And the tier structured system that forced retailers to continue to order certain titles at greater and greater amounts in order to KEEP their eligibility in the returnability program...

There was NO WAY DC Comics WASN'T going to capture most of the top spots in the market. It was very much an "all-in" move that put a LOT capital on the line. And it paid off! Good for DC. But here's the thing: they've gained those spots and that prestige for their TOP TIER books (and books where they've placed their top tier talent, like AQUAMAN). But all their mid-tier and lower tier titles have fallen out of sight.

If you look at the total sales (the ACTUAL numbers, not the Diamond Estimates), with the exception of bragging rights for those spots on the chart, DC is right back where they started at BEFORE the New 52 launch. MINUS the insane amount of money they threw at the books pre-launch. And there has NOT been that BIG of a push in this industry in DECADES! That must have REALLY set them back. (To be fair, Marvel HAS tried to match them a little in that department for the push for AVX. And that HAS paid off too.)

Meanwhile, if you look at the ACTUAL sales of the titles, in aggregate, Spider-Man has either HELD ITS OWN in a struggling economy when its fellow titles have SUFFERED ATTRITION.OR... (and here's the part I REALLY like)... has GONE UP IN SALES and bucked the trend.

So when you toss out phrases like "it must keep you up at night..."I don't think you really have a grasp on the big picture and what's REALLY going on in the industry-- or with Spider-Man.

In the Direct Market-- ASM is stable OR growing. In subscriptions, it's been Marvel's BEST SELLING subscribed title for close to 5 years running. There have only been the odd week once or twice in 5 years where another mainstream Marvel title has knocked it down to the 2nd spot. 5 years! Add to that the other markets that contribute to the bottom line, like digital (where ASM was the first Marvel title to regularly go on sale same day-and-date as print), trade paperbacks, newsstand, etc-- and the ASM BIG TIME run, has been a title that Marvel is EXTREMELY pleased with.

So, nope, I've got better optics (with ACTUAL numbers) and a better perspective than a disgruntled fan on a message board. I know EXACTLY how the book is performing, and BECAUSE of that, I sleep VERY soundly at night.

Rockman wrote:IBut hey I'm glad that big time had to go back for a 2nd printing, that's awesome, people must really have hated Ben Kingsley or something...

Yes. Our target demographic are people who REALLY hate that guy who played Ghandi in the movies.

Rockman wrote:IYou like to run around trolling random strangers on the internet, and dropping insults on them and their family because they don't like your work..

There's not liking the work and there's being a jackass about it. And, seriously, this is The Outhouse. This is the vibe here. Have you been READING these boards? I find it VERY hypocritical of you in the can-dish-it-out-but-can't-take-it department to suddenly make your stand here and now. Thin-skinned much? I thought Outhousers were made of sterner stuff.

Rockman wrote:But hey I wish you the best of luck, I hope Marvel doesn't piss on your body of work like they did to JMS, or any of the previous witers of ASM of the past 30 years like they did with BND and OMD.

It scares me that-- if you actually take that last statement to heart-- how much you must live in "internet-reality" instead of REAL WORLD reality.

JMS is a big boy and an accomplished writer in MANY arenas. No one bullied him or "pissed" on his work. He was THE writer of OMD. He helped plan it, came up with the concepts inside it, and worked VERY hard on it. His only grievance with it-- at the time-- was a storytelling mechanic on HOW the final chapter would be executed (NOT the result NOR the outcome)-- and by the time he came to the agreed upon ending, the Brand New Day team had written far far far ahead, and JMS wanted to change the story back to an earlier version. But it was an ending that wouldn't connect right with work that had already been finished.

He felt strongly that his way was better, didn't want to switch back to the ending we (on the BND team) had been told about, and he opted to NOT to write the final chapter. That's it. Everything else and all the histrionics and talk of white hats and black hats is all internet hyperbole that blew something that was very simple completely out of proportion.

But whatever. You trash talked me, I came back with jokes about your mom, and now you're a little butt-hurt. I get it. From now on I'll tread carefully around your delicate condition. You obviously need special care and understanding. And a Midol.

Dan Slott wrote:There's not liking the work and there's being a jackass about it. And, seriously, this is The Outhouse. This is the vibe here. Have you been READING these boards? I find it VERY hypocritical of you in the can-dish-it-out-but-can't-take-it department to suddenly make your stand here and now. Thin-skinned much? I thought Outhousers were made of sterner stuff.